In many telecommunication systems, communications networks are used to exchange messages among several cooperating spatially-separated devices. The various types of communications networks may be classified in different aspects. In one example, the geographic scope of the network could be over a wide area, a metropolitan area, a local area, or a personal area, and the corresponding networks would be designated as wide area network (WAN), metropolitan area network (MAN), local area network (LAN), or personal area network (PAN). Networks also may be distinguished by the switching/routing technique used to interconnect the various network nodes and devices (e.g. circuit switching vs. packet switching), by the physical media employed for transmission (e.g. wired vs. wireless), or by the communication protocols used (e.g. Internet protocol suite, SONET (Synchronous Optical Networking), Ethernet, etc.).
One important communications network feature is the choice of wired or wireless transport media for the transmission of electromagnetic signals among the constituents of the network. For wired networks, tangible physical media such as copper wire, coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, etc. are employed to propagate guided electromagnetic waveforms which carry message traffic over a distance. Wired networks are a static form of communications networks and are typically favored for interconnection of fixed network elements or for bulk data transfer. For example, fiber optic cables are often the preferred transmission media for very high throughput transport applications over long distances between large network hubs, such as, bulk data transport across or between continents over the Earth's surface.
On the other hand, wireless networks are usually preferred when mobile network elements have dynamic connectivity needs or if the network architecture is formed in an ad hoc, rather than fixed, topology. Wireless networks employ intangible physical media in an unguided propagation mode using electromagnetic waves in the radio, microwave, infrared, optical, etc. frequency bands. Wireless networks have the advantage of facilitating user mobility and rapid field deployment compared to fixed wired networks. However, usage of wireless propagation requires significant active resource management among the network users and high levels of mutual coordination and cooperation for compatible spectrum utilization.
In one example, wireless networks are compatible with various wireless protocols. Example versions of wireless protocols include Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), etc. Wireless systems compliant with these protocols are used for various communication services such as telephony, messaging, data transfer, emails, Internet access, audio broadcasts, video communications, etc. These wireless systems generally utilize an access node (AN), also known as base station (BS) or Node B, to connect to an individual access terminal (AT), also known as user equipment (UE) or user device, to fixed telecommunications infrastructure networks. In general, a radio coverage area is implemented using a plurality of Node Bs using a cellular-based topological architecture to provide wireless access, also known as an air interface, to the UEs (e.g., user devices). In one aspect, the Node Bs may be connected to a Radio Network Controller (RNC) to facilitate the interconnection to the fixed telecommunications infrastructure networks. In one aspect, the RNC is part a UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN).